Punahou holds off top-ranked Kamehameha

Miah Ostrowski and Spencer McLachlin combined for 33 points, and Punahou withstood a furious Kamehameha comeback for a 45-39 win last night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

A boisterous crowd of about 1,000 saw the Buffanblu remain in the chase for an automatic state berth. Punahou (20-6 overall) improved to 8-3 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play and is still in position to place second, which would mean an automatic state berth.

The loss was the first after 10 wins in league play for No. 1-ranked Kamehameha (19-3 overall).

For now, third-ranked Punahou is gaining momentum. The last time the Buffanblu played Kamehameha, they were dominated in the paint in a 61-48 loss. In addition, the Warriors made 19 of their 25 tries from the line.

"I did some research, and 35 percent of their points come from the line," Punahou coach Greg Tacon said. "So we played behind the posts. We didn't try to fight to get over the top. We didn't want cheap fouls."

The tactic worked. Kamehameha attempted only 10 free throws and made seven.

Punahou also used an inside-out game more than usual, planting McLachlin on the low post early on. The 6-foot-7 junior responded with nine of his 15 points in the opening quarter.

"Spencer got us started, hitting those shots and getting the crowd going," said Ostrowski, who scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half. "This was senior night, and we were feeding off the crowd."

Punahou shot 47 percent from the field (14-for-30) and outrebounded Kamehameha 24-17. The Buffanblu shot 50 percent (5-for-10) from the arc.

"We didn't settle for the 3," Tacon noted. "We worked the ball a little more. The worst thing you can do against Kamehameha is one shot and done."

The Warriors shot 37 percent from the field (15-for-41). They made only two of their 15 tries from 3-point range.

"Our goal in the second round is to finish on top, and we have another opportunity against Iolani," said Rykin Enos, who led the Warriors with 19 points. "Punahou just outhustled us this time."

Kamehameha needs to win one of its final two ILH games to clinch at least a tie for first place.

"We didn't come with our best game. You gotta fight for every win in this league," said Jacob Ho, who finished with nine points.

Punahou opened an 11-point lead in the third quarter thanks to buckets by reserve forward Kameron Steinhoff and guard Brandon Kapana. The Buffanblu took their biggest lead, 39-27, after Ostrowski sank two foul shots with 4 minutes left in the game.

That's when Kamehameha made a strong run, getting within four, 43-39, on a three-point play by Rykin Enos with 24 seconds left.